Ornamental jewelry construction



0. F. PLACCO ORNAMENTAL JEWELRY CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 16, 1934Patented Aug. 27, 1935 Oscar Frank Placco, Cranston, R. 1., assignor toCohn 8; Rosenberg-er, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New YorkApplication February 16, 1934, Serial No. 711,537

13 Claims. (01. sa 14);

5 Fig. 6 is a'central vertical section through the sonal wear haveheretofore included two memassembled earring, the parts being in closedposibers adapted to respectively engage the twosides tion; 7 of an earlobe, and constrained to close towards Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig.6, the parts being each other and grip the ear lobe, by a spring orinopen position;

other resilient member. This construction has Fig. 8 is a side elevationof a modified construccertain disadvantageous features, in that the tionof my invention; and spring tension is constantly maintained, wherebyFig. 9 is an enlarged detail'showing the locking the parts are alwayspressed towards each'other end of the closure member.

and grip the ear lobe with a continuous pressure; I have found itfeasible to devise an earring l the spring or other resilient member,because of construction which utilizes a small number of initscontinuous closing tendency, has also required expensive and easilyassembled parts, and which the earring to be positively held open by theincludes a spring arrangement that interposes a fingers prior tofastening onthe earlobe. firm resistance to opening of the earring andyet Moreover, the earrings heretofore used have maintains a relativelymild pressure capable of 0 tended to concentrate the binding or holdingpresholding an earring against accidental removal sure on asmall area ofthe ear lobe, thus increasfrom the ear lobe of awearer, without inconingthe discomfort of the wearer; the constant veniencing the wearer. Tothis end, I have depressure on this area has aggravated the discomvisedan earring construction which includes fort, as it has been difficultheretofore to-provide a'base that is suitable for ornamentation, and a25 a construction capable of firmly resisting opening closure memberwhich carries aspring, this spring or releasing, while at the same timemaintaining being designed to cooperate with a fixed fulcrum its grip onthe ear lobe by exerting a relatively cam on the base so as to interposea substantial gentle pressure just sufficient for the desiredpurresistance to opening movement of the earring pose, parts, the springpressure when the earring parts 30 It is the present object of myinvention to deare in closed position being just sufficient to mainvisean earring construction which will strongly tain the earring partslocked against accidental resist opening or releasing, and which will atthe displacement. Preferably, the holding effect is same time exert aneffective grip that will i not facilitated by providing an enlargedgripping surproduce any discomfort to the ear of the wearer faceorltheearring parts, having cooperating pro- 35 l and yet will besufficient to lock the earring in jections or knobs which extend over aconsiderplace against accidental removal. Further obable portion of theearlobe. Moreover, the spring jects of my invention are to simplify themanuand its abutment cam cooperate to keep the parts facture of anearring of the described type and open when in fully opened position,thus increasto produce a stronger construction having a longer ing theconvenience of the wearer when putting 40 effective life. r i on ortakingoff the'earring.

With the above and other objects and ad- I have further provided aconstruction which vantageous features in View, my invention conmay bereadily modified to definitely limit movesists of a novel arrangement ofparts more fully ment of the base or the closure member towardsdisclosed in the detailed description following, each other when inclosed position, so as to pre- 45 in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawing, vent excessive gripping effects when the earlobe is and morespecifically defined in the claims apunusually heavy or thick. pendedthereto. The above construction is more fully described In the drawing,V in the detailed description following. Referring Fig. 1 is aperspective view showing the applicato the drawing; the earring H], seeFig; 1, con- 50 tion of the novel earring to an ear lobe; sists of twoparts, a base I I and a closure member Fig. 2 is a perspective View of apreferred em- 12, the base ll being shaped as shown in Fig. 4 bodimentof my invention, the parts being in and having a combined hinge andfulcrum cam closed position; member l3 which is preferably formed ofsheet Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig.2, the parts being metal andfirmly secured to the base as by solin open position; dering or welding,the member I3 having a for- My present invention relates to ornamentaljewelry constructions, and has particular reference to a novelconstruction of earringsfor personal wear. c

Earrings of the spring type designed for per- Fig. 4 is a perspectiveview of the novel earring base;

a Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the closure member;

wardly extended cam portion I4, a rear generally flat portion l5 and ahinge pin opening l6 formed between these two portions to accommodate ahinge pin as hereinafter described.

The closure member l2, see Fig. 5, is preferably made of resilient sheetmetal, and includes two side parts ll, it which have their ends curledor rolled to provide spaced hinge sections 19, 20, a spring tongue 2|being formed integral with the member I2 and extending between the sideparts I! and i8. The spring tongue, as clearly shown in Figs. 6 and 7,is generally arcuate in shape with the free end somewhat more sharplycurved, so that the assembly of the hinged members [9 and 2!] onopposite sides of the cam member [3 and the insertion of a hinge pin 23thro'ugh the aligned hinge parts will cause the free spring end 22 toabut against the member I3. Although the spring tongue has beendescribed as integral with the closure member, it is evident that aseparate spring tongue, suitably secured to the closure member, may beused instead.

' The contact of the spring end 22 with the member I? is designed tointerpose a relatively firm resistance to opening of the earring parts;.as will be noted in Fig. 6, the free end 22directly abuts the camportion l4, whereby an opening pressure exerted on theend of the closurememher will first press the end 22 firmly into engagement'with the cami4, and then increase the spring curvature until the increasing pressuresnaps the spring end over the upper edge of the member l3 into theposition indicated in Fig. '7

the spring in this position interposes a slight re sistance to closingof the parts, whereby the parts tendto remain open until purposelyclosed. It will be noted when the parts are in closed posi' tion, asindicated in Fig. 6, that the spring 2! isonly under slight compressivestress, but is in a position capable of exerting a substantialresistance to openingof-the'parts. It is evident that the ear lobeengaging ends of, the closure member. and of the base are not undergreat pressure, and do not press deeply into the ear lobe parts; if itappears necessary or advisable any desired pressure at closed positionmay be readily obtained by suitably changing the spring tongue and thecam member.

To increase the holding effect, the ear lobe engaging ends 24 and 25 ofthe closure member and the base respectively are provided with aplurality of cooperating spaced projections 26 and 21 as illustrated,these projections being spaced a sufficient distance apart to extend theear lobe engaging surface and, thus increase frictional resistance toremoval or displacement while decreasing concentrationv of pressure onthe ear lobe parts; I

If desired, .the novel earring parts-may be ar ranged to limit theclosing action by modifying the construction of the closure member asindicated at 28 in Fig.8, which has side parts 29 and 30 and anintermediate spring member 3! generally similar to the previouslydescribed closure member parts. The free ends of the parts 29 and 38,however, are formed to provide spaced hinge sections 32, 3 3 equippedwith stop fingers 34, for contacting the base of the cam member l3 orthe upper portion of the base H if the abutment member'is formedintegral therewith, so as to limit the closing movement of the member 28towards the member H, as indicated in Fig. 8, whereby thick or heavyearlobes may be provided with earrings which do not pinch.

It is thus evident that my improved construction provides an earringwhich stays open until closing pressure is exerted, which grips withoutexerting excessive pressure, and which spreads the slight holdingpressure required over a wide ear lobe area; the improved constructionthus operates by locking the parts in closed position under slightpressure, and strongly resisting separation of the parts. By suitablechanges in the length and curvature of the spring tongue, and in the cammember, the pressure between the earring parts may be reduced to zero orincreased to any desired value.

Although I have described the construction specifically as applied to anearring, it is obvious that, similar arrangements may be utilized for.manufacturing clips or the like suitable for personal wear, with slightmodifications such as are within the province of a designer skilled inthe art.

While I have described a specific constructional embodiment ofmyinvention, changes in the size or shape of the parts, in the materialused, and in the general arrangement of the partsin relation to eachother, may be made to suit the requirements of different designers,within the spirit and the scope of the invention as defined in theclaims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, and spring and abutment elementsassociated with said members, said spring element contacting saidabutment element to maintain said members in adjacent closed relation,the engaging surfaces of the abutment element and the spring elementbeing formed to initially lock the spring element upon initial openingmovement of the closure member, whereby the spring element is bowed andplaced under compression, further opening movement of the closure memberthen snapping the spring element over theabutment element.

2. In an article of the character described, a base member, a'closuremember hingedly connected thereto, and spring and abutment elementsassociated with said closure and said base member respectively, saidspring element contacting said abutment element to maintain said membersin adjacent closed relation, the engaging surfaces of the abutmentelement and the spring element being formed to initially lock the springelement upon initial opening movement of the closure member, whereby thespring element is bowed and placed under compression, further openingmovement of the closure member then snapping the spring element over theabutment element.

3. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an abutment element on one member,and a spring element on the other memher, one end of said spring elementabutting said abutment element when said members are in adjacent closedrelation, and extending over said abutment element when said members arein open relation the engaging surfaces of the abutment element and thespring element end being formed to initially lock the spring element endupon initial opening movement of the closure member, whereby the springelement is bowed and placed under compression, further opening movementof the closure member then snapping the spring element end over theabutment element.

- i. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an abutment element on the basemember, and a spring element on'the closure member, one end of saidspring element abutting said abutment element when said members are inadjacent closed relation, and extending over said abutment element whensaid members arein open relation the engaging surfaces of the abutmentelement and the spring element endbeing' formed to initially lock thespring element end upon initial opening movement of the closure member,whereby the springelement isbowed and placed under compression, furtheropening-movement of the closure member then snapping the V springelement end over the abutment element;

5. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an arcuate abutment element on onemember, and a spring finger on theothcr member, one end of said springfinger abutting said abutment element when said members are in adjacentclosed relation, and extending over said abutment element when saidmembers are in open relation the engaging surfaces of the abutmentelement and the spring finger being formed to initially lock the springfinger upon initial opening movement of the closure member, whereby thespring finger is bowed and placed under compression, further openingmovement of the closure member then snapping the spring finger over theabutment element.

6. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an abutment element on one member,and a spring element on the other member formed integral therewith, oneend of said spring element abutting said abutment element when saidmembers are in adjacent closed relation, and extending over saidabutment element when said members are in open relation the engagingsurfaces of the abutment element and the spring element end being formedto initially lock the spring element end upon initial opening movementof the closure member, whereby the spring element is bowed and placedunder compression, further opening movement of the closure member thensnapping the spring element end over the abutment element.

'7. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an abutment element on the basemember, and a spring element on the closure member formed integraltherewith, one end of said spring element abutting said abutment elementwhen said members are in adjacent closed relation, and extending oversaid abutment element when said members are in open relation theengaging surfaces of the abutment element and the spring element endbeing formed to initially lock the spring element end upon initialopening movement of the closure member, whereby the spring element isbowed and placed under compression, further opening movement of theclosure member then snapping the spring element end over the abutmentelement.

8. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an arcuate abutment element on onemember, and a spring finger on the other member formed integraltherewith, one end of said spring finger abutting said abutment elementwhen said members are in adjacent closed relation, and extending oversaid abutment element when said members are in open relation theengaging surfaces of the abutment element and the spring finger beingformed to initially lock the abutment element when said members are inad-,

ja'ce'nt closed relation, and'extending'over said abutment element whensaid members are in open relation, the engaging surfaces of the abut''ment element andthe spring elementend being formed to initially lock thespring element end upon initial opening movement of the closure member,whereby the spring element is bowed and placed under compression,further opening movement of the closure member then snapping the springelement end over the abutment element the free ends of said membershaving spaced raised portions.

10. In an article of the character described, a base member, a closuremember hingedly connected thereto, an abutment element on one member,and a spring element on the other member formed integral therewith, oneend of said spring element abutting said abutment element when saidmembers are in adjacent closed relation, and extending over saidabutment element when said members are in open relation, the engagingsurfaces of the abutment element and the spring element end being formedto initially lock the spring element end upon initial opening movementof the closure member, whereby the spring element is bowed and placedunder compression, further opening movement of the closure member thensnapping the spring element end over the abutment element the free endsof said members having spaced raised portions.

11. In an article of the character described, a base member having ahinge section, the inner surface of said hinge section being arcuate andforming an abutment, a closure member having spaced parts terminating inspaced hinge sections and aligned with said base member hinge section,and a hinge pin extending through said hinge sections, said closuremember having a spring tongue positioned intermediate said spaced parts,the end of said spring tongue abutting said abutment when the membersare in adjacent closed position, and snapping over said abutment topermit movement of the members to open position the engaging surfaces ofthe abutment element and the spring tongue being formed to initiallylock the spring tongue upon initial opening movement of the closuremember, whereby the spring tongue is bowed and placed under compression,further opening movement of the closure member then snapping the springtongue over the abutment element.

12. In an article of the character described, a base member having ahinge section, the inner surface of said hinge section being arcuate andforming an abutment, a closure member having spaced parts terminating inspaced hinge sections and aligned with said base member hinge section,and a hinge pin extending through said hinge sections, said closuremember having a spring tongue positioned intermediate said spaced parts,the end of said spring tongue abutting said abutment when the membersare in adjacent closed position, and snapping over said abutment topermit movement of the members to open position, the engaging surfacesof the abutment element andthe spring tongue being formed to initiallylock the spring tongue upon initial opening movement of the closuremember, whereby the spring tongue is bowed and placed under compression,further opening movement of the closure member then snapping the springtongue over the abutment element the free ends of said members havingspaced raised ber, one end of said spring element abutting said abutmentelement when said members are in adjacent closed relation, extendingover said abutment element when said members are in open relation, theengaging surfaces of the abutment element and the spring element endbeing formed to initially lock the spring element end upon initialopening movement of the closure member, whereby the spring element isbowed and placed under compression, further opening movement of theclosure member then snapping the spring element end over the abutmentelement and means for limiting closing movement of said members towardseach other.

OSCAR. FRANK PLACCO.

